New data from Citizen's Financial Group suggests Apple's loan partner has financed some 250,000 iPhones through the newly launched iPhone Upgrade Program, according to calculations from investment firm Piper Jaffray.

Apple investors showed concern this week after iPhone supplier Dialog Semiconductor warned revenue will fall short of expectations, but Piper Jaffray took the opportunity to remind Wall Street that it's unwise to read into supplier data.

A new survey of U.S. smartphone users has revealed that 20 percent of consumers prefer a smaller handset in the 4-inch range, potentially signaling the market size for a refreshed entry-level iPhone from Apple.

Concerns that the iPhone 6s upgrade cycle could post first-ever year over year sales declines were alleviated this week, when Apple indicated it expects iPhone sales will grow yet again this holiday quarter. Analysts on Wall Street reacted to the news positively, advising investors to buy in.

Heading into the fall shopping season, Apple stock is investment firm Piper Jaffray's top large-cap pick for the rest of the year and into 2016, citing continued growth for the company's iPhone lineup led by the new 6s series.

Apple's newly launched iPhone Upgrade Program will drive handset owners to upgrade their devices even faster than before, adding to the company's bottom line over the next four-plus years and pushing its stock higher, investment firm Piper Jaffray believes.

With more than 13 million units sold in the first three days of availability, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus exceeded most market expectations, and analysts responded on Monday by reacting favorably to the announcement from Apple.

Investment firm Piper Jaffray doesn't expect a mythical "Apple Car" to be on the roads anytime soon, but the firm did advise its clients this week that the rumored project will affect shares of AAPL as investor expectations adjust.

The shift of U.S. carriers from contract subsidies to installment pricing for smartphones could speed up upgrade cycles for Apple's iPhone, according to a new memo by financial services firm Piper Jaffray.

Lofty expectations were beyond the reach of Apple last quarter, sending shares tumbling more than 7 percent. But a number of bullish analysts see the stock pullback as a buying opportunity for investors, who can get in at a cheaper price before the launch of new iPhones.

Analyst sentiment is generally high ahead of Apple's third-quarter earnings announcement -- due on Tuesday -- calling for numbers that could beat both official guidance as well as Wall Street consensus, mostly on the strength of iPhone sales that could near or top 50 million.

Apple is expected to announce a new subscription streaming music service at WWDC next week, but investment bank Piper Jaffray expects that the pay-to-play Spotify competitor will bolster the iPhone ecosystem much more than it will pad Apple's bottom line.

Apple is once again expected to have set a new quarterly record in March when it announces earnings this afternoon, with investors on average expecting blockbuster iPhone sales to drive about $56 billion in revenue.

Apple's iPhone 6 and larger iPhone 6 Plus will likely perform better in the June and September quarters than previous iPhone models, analyst Gene Munster believes, which will help to propel shares of the company's stock to new highs.